Saturday, July 17, 2010

The week that was...

In a week of sickness + recovery, we still managed to have some fun + alot of quality time together.

Brett taught each of the kids how to use the drill safely + let them 'help' him on a project he was working on for the garage. Eth was pretty stoked...

Stass was not so happy when she pressed the trigger and it almost jumped out of her hands. Gave her a royal fright but we were so proud of her for having another go anyway :)

Had a bit of rainy weather here this week. Love my pink gumboots...

The kids playing the table soccer game that the McPhails kindly leant us. Great indoor-eat-eather-we-are-still-all-sick kind of gaming...

Ginger tea with honey for sore throats (must try the apple cider vinegar + honey recipe today - thanks for the reminder about that one Mel!)...

playing in the cubby house...

liji's quirky creations...love how he makes so many of his drawings into finger puppets!

painting up a storm (making some wall art for the boys' rooms. Unfinished still but on at least it's underway!)...

i knitted a scarf this week for my lovely friend Monique. It's the first scarf I've ever made (i watched a you tube tute to learn how to cast off! lol!) ..Happy birthday mate. Hope it was a special day for you.

Stass decided to pick up her needles this week too...

Brett teaching the kids how to play Super Mario Bros on the wii :) Something to tick off our Winter Wonderful list...

the yummy as anything chocolate cake that Miss Stassi made all by herself. And yes. There was licking of the beaters APLENTY!

Love that Brett is so into homeschooling too. After going to the hardware store for something completely unrelated, he came home with these little art canvas + paint kits for $3 each. Can anyone say bargain?

The kids drilling + Brett's initiative produced this cool little organisation station for his garge. Love it! He's pretty clever that Brett :)

'clay play' was another on the Winter Wonderful list that we got to tick off this week...Messy stuff man but they had fun...

Stass made an alphabet with the idea that we could try and bake them and give them as gifts to people...

Um...didn't quite work. In fact, plastic blob messes probably more acurately describes what they looked like once they emerged from the oven. We had a good talk about how to deal creatively with things that don't work out. Brett suggested that she use a skewer to kind of carve into the blobs and also that we use baking clay next time...um, yes. good idea :)

some cooking this week...

and Sabbath campfire shenanigans...

here we are early morning. brett reckons i look yellow since i've been sick. looking at this photo, i'm thinking he's right...

Brett be nimble, Brett be quick, Brett jump over the...ah...baby :)

plenty of get-better-cuddles-and-prayers this week...

Sabbath morning...resting outside in the sun with Brett finishing off the 'Chronicles of Faith - Elijah' read aloud. The kids are colouring in some sheets I downloaded from the Calvary Chapel website >>> linkage over there :) I joined them + coloured in too a second after i took this snap...

These cuties made some signs...

and we took them with us on a night-time adventure to Sydney...

and waved said signs at some family members returning from an overseas trip...

Other stuff from the week that was:

* i got a 3rd opinion on my wisdom teeth situation + have decided to wait and monitor them with a new dentist. Answered prayer there :) Thank you God!

* We took the kids to their first all you can eat smorgasboard. We still monitored what they ate but after the 3 days following of really poor behaviour, loads more fighting, long meltdowns (Elijah) and generally just an increase in difficult attitudes, we won't be rushing back there for a while. Kids have been gradually weaning back onto more high salicylate foods. This week they had 2 apples WITH skin on, a really rich tomato casserole (tomatoes are really high salicylate foods), salad with cucumber + tomatoes (again both high salicylates), normal onions in cooking (high sal)...so a big increase in salicylates basically. Although we have had some tough times with the kids this week, they have actually done alot better than we thought they would. Still hoping that by the end of the year we might be back onto a regular diet (no additives still but back on salicylates. We'll see. Still a work in progress - just like me! lol)

* I read more of the book of Revelation this week + saw some amazing things that I've never seen before. God keeps blowing my mind.

* Caught up on some homeschool diary work.

* Dannii (my SIL) + I took Stass out for a little cafe date.

* I listened to more of the 'Feasts of the Lord' and anyone keen to learn more about them, you can click HERE to get them playing aloud (i have mine going while i'm busy in the kitchen cooking and stuff) and you can download the notes from that page too. I've gotten heaps out of these. They are by El Shaddai Ministries by Pastor Mark Biltz.

* Didn't get much washing done.

* Had 3 baskets of washing sitting unfolded for the majority of the week in my bedroom.

* Drank too much coffee this week.

* Didn't intentionally exercise even once.

* BUT we did have ALOT of quality family time together. There were alot of chats. There was quite a bit of correction. There was alot of praying. ALOT of good family memory bank building - and that's what counts to me.